Welcome to the page that is all about YOU!

The Physician Wellness curriculum starts during intern orientation and continues longitudinally through all of residency.  

On this page you will find a description of the wellness curriculum, ideas of how to make the most of your time off, lists of resources (including PCP suggestions), and various wellness and nutrition apps!

Questions about the curriculum? Ideas for the website? Concerns about burnout? EMAIL US!

Email Dr. Yeager

Email Dr. Rich

What's new: 

Stuck in your chair charting for too long? Try these seated yoga moves to get your blood flowing again and improve your focus!

Resident Wellness Assessment and Personal Wellness Plan:

• Reflecting on our personal wellness, reviewing specific behaviors that contribute to wellness, and setting goals to improve and maintain wellness are all part of the skills you need to maintain your well-being throughout the busy and successful careers ahead of you. 
• It is expected that you will do it twice per year and share your goals with your advisor. You will be prompted to do it when you complete the 6 month self assessment.  
• No copy of this form is every sent to a faculty member or placed in your permanent record.  It is just a guide for your reflection.  
• Remember when creating to goals to keep them SMART (specific, measurable, attainable/appropriate, realistic, and timely)

If you want to review "Resiliency Training" check out this article from Family Practice Management.  The news about burnout isn't riveting but what does prompt self-reflection is the "mental training" techniques that help us all to develop resilience to the internal and external pressures that comes with being a physician.  And who doesn't need help with that? 

Curriculum

Objectives:

Through this curriculum, residents should be able to...

• Identify health and wellness strategies for coping with the stresses of life as a physician
• Describe the concepts of burnout, resiliency, and mindfulness
• Engage in active surveillance of personal wellbeing and resiliency in order to recognize and correct burnout
• Participate in wellness activities with the goal of self care
• Apply the skills learned through didactics to patient care, with the goal of improving patient wellbeing
• Practice common mindfulness and meditation techniques

Methods:

• Discussions of wellness start at orientation.  Interns will begin with an introduction to understanding oneself during orientation through the following:

1. Personality testing (Myers-Briggs and 5 Factor Model)
2. Family Circles
3. Learning styles (Kolb Learning Style Inventory and VAK Learning Style Inventory)
4. Emotional Intelligence Assessment
5. Character strengths assessment
6. Mayo Clinic Wellbeing Index
7. All interns read The Happiness Advantage prior to starting residency, a great introduction to the concept of positive psychology

• Quarterly Thursday resident sessions during didactics devoted to wellness such as, but not limited to, interactive Pilates/Yoga sessions, nutrition discussion/activity, mindfulness/meditation sessions, and interactive didactics reviewing some of the main tenants of wellness. 
• Wellness Committee- Resident committee (roughly 1/3 of residents on this committee) to help improve resident wellness. Their activities include ensuring the inpatient room is stocked with snacks, planning fun seasonal activities (see below), and acting as advocates for resident wellness. 

• Wellness activities:

1. Flying Pig Relay Teams (May), *Heart Mini Marathon/5K/10K (March)
2. Graduation celebration/Graduation picnic with achievements/awards
3. Resident Retreat (March)
4. Pumpkin carving and/or bonfire in the fall (Resident Wellness Committee)
5. Gift wrapping and cookie baking during the holidays (Resident Wellness Committee)

• Residents will meet with a financial advisor during their intern year in order to help ease the financial stresses many residents often face
• Balint Groups- Regular, informal meetings with faculty member during conference time to discuss difficult patients, situations, and interactions.

• An online discussion of wellness, nutrition, and recipe sharing.  Visit us on Facebook!

 Measures and Action Steps:

• Residents will complete a wellness self assessment (the Mayo Clinic Wellbeing Index) in the Fall and Spring to monitor burn out.
• Residents may choose to discuss the index results with their faculty advisors at their semi-annual meetings. 
• If overall burnout noted through results of the well being index or through feedback from the resident retreat, Faculty will work with residents to help implement a plan for addressing burnout.

Resources

Find everything you need here to optimize your personal wellness.  There is everything from links to websites describing how to do guided imagery, cooking and nutrition apps for your smart phone, where to get the best deals on a gym membership, and who to consider for a PCP.  Yes, that is a doctor for YOU!

Update

on 2013-01-14 15:13 by Megan Rich

Shape up!

Choose to do it yourself or exercise as a part of the group such as with the Flying Pig marathon relay: Faculty vs Residents!

Cincinnati Sports Club: Christ Hospital employee can get discounts on initiation fees and monthly rate or opt out of a membership and just pay $10 per day that you do want to use the facility.

YMCA: Christ employees can get an additional 30% off already low monthly fees.  Check out their website to find a branch near your home.  The branch closest to Christ Hospital is at Elm and Central Parkway and opens at 5 am Monday through Friday.

Urban Active in Hyde Park: Many of your colleagues opt to work out here due to the affordable rates and month-to-month plans available.

VirginMiles program: If you are a Christ employee, you can partake in this program.  Pick up your podometer and start clocking your miles which can be redeemed for prizes.  Now for a small fee, spouses can be added on too! Visit The Christ Hospital employee benefits page for more info (only available on intranet.  You must be logged on to Citrix or using TCH computer to access page, we can't provide the link).

Flying Pig: Now an annual event that by harnessing a competitive spirit encourages both walkers and runners within the residency to get moving.  Typically organized by the chief and senior residents, look for their emails in early winter.

Looking for other running/racing events? Check out the Runners Club of Greater Cincinnati. 

Running Spot: Excellent website with info on training for various distance runs (5K through marathon), lists of running routes in Cincinnati, information on equipment needed for training, and has various group runs during the week. Very knowledgeable staff and a way to meet other runners.

C25K: Are you a beginner runner? No problem! Check out this website which has training program to get you from the couch to running a 5K (3.1 miles) in 9 weeks. Motivation is what is important, not experience!

Apps: There are many different apps that allow you to track mileage, design routes, keep a training diary, and calculate pace, calories expended, ascent, etc.  Here a few you can try: runkeeper, walkjogrun, strava, Nike trainer, or skimble. 

Update

on 2012-10-10 20:54 by Megan Rich

Play with your food

Join the UCFM/TCH discussion on food, nutrition and wellness on Facebook.  Remember, you don't have to be "friends" with Drs Rich or Yeager in order to join the conversation.

Track your nutrition:

- sparkpeople.com: this website takes the power of social media and provides a way to track your health (including your nutrition, calories consumed and expended, exercise, weight loss, etc).  Recommended by such health experts as People Magazine and the Today Show. There IS a lot to their website - make the most of it by taking the tutorial. And it's free!

- livestrong.com: Also is a center for tracking your health.  Go to the myplate section to track your daily nutrition.  Has many resources available on the website.  Also free.

Apps

- Dirty Dozen: The Dirty Dozen are the 12 foods where you will get the most bang for your buck by purchasing organic varieties regularly.  The Clean Fifteen are the 15 that you need not worry about buying organic. Put this app on your smart phone for easy reference when at the grocery store.  And it's free!

- Low glycemic index diet: There are several apps out that can calculate your glycemic index for the day or help you to plan your shopping trip.  The link attached is a free app that is best used as a reference for what the glycemic index value of various foods is.

- There are many apps out there for storing and searching recipes.  Here are a few of the free ones: Food Network, Epicurious, and Cooks Illustrated.  Cook Light has an app, too, for just $3.99. 

Update

on 2013-07-30 15:06 by Megan Rich

Think outside the box

Massage: Get a 50 min massage for $35 at the Cincinnati School of Medical Massage.  They are open on weekends too! Visit the website or call (513) 469-9550.

Acupuncture: Check out the list of recommended resources from the not-so-mixed-up files of Dr. Montiel T. Rosenthal.

Guided Imagery: A form of meditation, this relaxation technique uses the power of the imagination to aid in the healing process.  The heading link will take you to a webpage that describes this more thoroughly.  Ohio State has some free audio files or ou can click here for free written scripts of imagery targeting many different things: grief, headaches or other types of pain, test taking, self esteem, etc.  The audio files are available but the majority cost about $3.  One alternative: you could record yourself reading aloud the free script and then play it back any time you want to guide yourself.

Meditation: There are many different types of meditation (such as guided imagery).  The beauty is it can be done for a few minutes anywhere that is quiet and allows you to be in a comfortable position.  Having a crazy morning in the office? Find an empty exam room and take a few minutes to relax and center yourself before starting the afternoon session.

Mindfulness: Also a type of meditation, mindfulness encourages you to focus without judgement and can reconnect you with your environment, relax you and decrease your stress level.

Deep Breathing and other relaxation techniques: 

Update

on 2013-07-30 13:46 by Megan Rich

Your Health

As physicians we often neglect our own health especially when it comes to seeing a doctor.  Here you may find a list of PCP's, mental health providers, pediatritians, dentists and obstetricians.  These are all physicians who are NOT associated with the residency or the department in any way.  Some are personal recommendations from people within the residency, others are less well known but have a good reputation in the community or a word-of-mouth recommendation.  Needless to say, if you don't connect well with a physician on the list, the residency is in no way responsible.

- PCP's (family medicine, internal medicine, med-peds, and pediatrics)

- Mental Health

- Dentists

- OB/gyn

**Please check with your insurance ahead of time to ensure the provider is included in your plan

Fun in Cincy!

Make the most of your free time.  For newcomers, find new ways to explore the city.  For lifers, reconnect with friends and family through new venues.  For parents, get ideas of how to entertain the kiddies.  There is something for everyone.  

If you have a must-share idea, please email!

Email Dr. Rich

Update

on 12/18/2017

Fun for all ages

Findlay Market:Ohio's oldest continuously operated public market and one of Cincinnati's most cherished institutions. Open Tuesday through Sunday, Findlay Market is home year-around to about two dozen indoor merchants selling meat, fish, poultry, produce, flowers, cheese, deli, and ethnic foods. On Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from April to November the Market also hosts a thriving farmers market, dozens of outdoor vendors, numerous street performers, and lots of special events.

The Cincinnati Public Library: Branches throughout the city and downtown is the Main Library in a beautiful building and containing special book collections. All branches now offer downloadable books as well. At your local branch, find story time programs for kids, puppet shows, etc. Ti find a branch near you, click on the title!

Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden: Founded in 1873, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is the second oldest Zoo in the United States. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1987 due to its significant architecture including the Reptile House which is the oldest existing Zoo building in the country! The botanical gardens are worked in between animal exhibits. There are also carousel and train rides. Plan your trip at

Cincinnati Museum Center:A complex of 3 museums located at Union Terminal: Cincinnati History Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, and the Duke Energy Children’s Museum, and additional special exhibits and an Omnimax Theater. Family passes are available.

The Children’s Museum is consistently ranked in the top 10 children’s museums in the U.S. Kids can literally climb, crawl, and explore as they learn in a multitude of exhibits including the water works station, the ball room, Kids’ Town, and the best treehouse fort EVER!  

Cincinnati History Museum has a model of the city from 1900-40s with working trains and inclines, as well as interactive computer stations!

At the Natural History Museum go exploring in a life-sized replica of a lime-stone cave, stroll through the ice age and meet the dinosaurs.

Union Terminal was originally built in 1933 as a train station and is now a National Historic Landmark.

Newport Aquarium: Play with penguins, pet a shark, and behold many different critters from jellyfish to gators in this well-designed aquarium that gets you up close and personal with under-the-sea life.

Kings Island: A large amusement park includingrollercoasters and other rides.  Has a annual spooky Halloween event.  

Update

on 12/18/2017

Family Oriented Activities

Parky’s Farm at Winton Woods:A 100 acre educational farm with live animals, wagon and pony-rides, outdoor playground, indoor Parky's Playbarn, children's birthday

parties and more. Big Halloween event (fun, not scary) each year.  Many activities are seasonal, so be sure to check the website before heading out.

1000 Hands playgrounds: Large, fun playgrounds throughout the city including at Sawyer Point, Northside and Mt Washington.  Look for one in your neighborhood: just click on the title.

Coney Island: attractions include rides (including rides appropriate for 2-3 year olds), a pool complete with water slides, miniature golf, kid-sized mining town, live shows and such goodies as hot dogs, cotton candy and funnel cake!

Jump Zone: in Milford, think of this as a series of indoor bounce-houses.  Go for family night, plan a birthday party or play date.  Typically $10-12 for a 3-4 hour jump session.  

Kings Island:rollercoasters and other rides, Planet Snoopy which has won the Golden Ticket Award for “Best Kids Area in the World” for last 11 years, an animatronic dinosaur park with over 60 life-sized and moving dinosaurs, live shows, and a Halloween event (that IS scary although smaller kids may appreciate trick-or-treating with dinosaurs or Howl-o-fest). 

Totter’s Otterville: an educational entertainment center (with both indoor and outdoor exhibits) geared towards children ages 10 and under, complete with areas for pretend play, art, a dinosaur dig and a giant outdoor playground.

Entertrainment Junction: “the world’s largest indoor train display (that’s 25,000 sq. ft. of model trains on an enormous train layout), bounce, climb and crawl in a spectacular children’s play area, discover at our imaginative railroading museum, engineer your own locomotive around a track in a hand-cranked railroad car or ride our narrow gauge train ride, and enjoy the greatest funhouse on earth.  It’s like an theme park and it’s all indoors!”

Cincinnati Nature Center: in Milford, OH.  Has a unique “playscape” designed for kids to foster learning and playing in nature, a nature preschool (Sept thru May for 3-5 yr olds), and over 16 mi of hiking trails in Rowe Woods.  

Update

on 2012-10-10 20:50 by Megan Rich

Enjoy the Great Outdoors!

Festivals:

Taste of Cincinnati - over Memorial Day weekend, located downtown 

Riverfest - over Labor day weekend, located downtown, includes a huge fireworks show 

Oktoberfest - in late SEPTEMBER, located downtown 

Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park: Located on the winding banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, Great American Ball Park serves as the home of the Cincinnati Reds, baseball's first professional franchise. Catch a game this weekend -- just click the heading above.

Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium: Also located downtown, along the banks of the Ohio River. Catch a Bengal’s game or other special event.

Mt Airy Forest: Accessible from Mt. Airy and Westwood, Mt. Airy Forest's 1,459 acres includes miles of hiking trails and bridle trails (located off Diehl Road) for horseback riders. Mt. Airy has Ohio's only wheelchair accessible public treehouse, an enclosed dog park, and disc golf. Also has an arboretum with gazebo, ponds and specialty gardens - very picturesque! Many weddings held here.  

Ault Park: in Mt Lookout. Ault Park is a public park and recreation area with world-famous gardens, trials, a large playgound, and special events like the Summer Dance Series. This park's unique and historic character makes it an ideal visiting spot for all seasons.  Be sure to visit in the spring when the trees and flowers are in bloom! 

Sharon Woods: In Sharonville - a popular park that features a visitor center with exhibits, gift shop and Adventure Station, an accessible two-story indoor play area for children ages two to 12. The park is a popular spot to exercise outdoors with a 2.6-mile paved multi-purpose trail around the lake, a 1.0-mile Parcours trail and the 0.7-mile Gorge nature trail. 

Washington Park: Downtown and newly restored! With an iconic bandstand in the heart of the park, a fenced “dog park”, a unique playground featuring a boardwalk and stage, a sandbox, a canal boat in a water channel, and climbing walls, water jets and interactive fountains, a restroom building, and a concession building. There is a parking garage nearby.  Also hosts special events - just check the website.

Burnet Woods: In Clifton. This 90-acre park near the University of Cincinnati sports hiking trails, a fishing lake, a historic bandstand, TWO playgrounds, and a disc golf course. The Audubon Society named the park an Important Birding Area. The Wolff Planetarium provides an intimate setting to view the stars.

Lunken Airport: Southeast of the city. Has a 5 mile paved loop for biking or running/jogging/walking.  Also has a nice-sized playground for the kids. 

Little Miami/Loveland Bike Trail: 78 miles of a paved path for runners/joggers/walkers as well as cyclist, rollerbladers and other forms of motor-less transportation.  It runs along an old steam railroad line.  There are multiple places to pick up the trail including Lebanon, Loveland, and just east of Mariemont at Avoca Park.

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park: North of the city. Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum is a 265 acre sculpture park and outdoor museum combining the lure of nature with the dynamic presence of monumental art. It is a setting where landscape and art come together in natural galleries among vast meadows and woodlands. Open 8am to 5pm daily.  $8 for adults, $2 for kids. 

Cincinnati Nature Center: in Milford, OH.  Has a unique “playscape” designed for kids to foster learning and playing in nature, a nature preschool (Sept thru May for 3-5 yr olds), and over 16 mi of hiking trails in Rowe Woods.  

Find a park near you:http://www.cincinnatiparks.com/index.php/parks

Krohn Conservatory: Cincinnati Parks’ nationally recognized showcase of more than 3,500 plant species from around the world. Don’t miss the butterfly show, every spring.  Visit the website for more details. 

Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden: Founded in 1873, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is the second oldest Zoo in the United States. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1987 due to its significant architecture including the Reptile House which is the oldest existing Zoo building in the country! The botanical gardens are worked in between animal exhibits. There are also carousel and train rides. 

Update

on 2013-07-30 15:07 by Megan Rich

Historical Finds

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center:Learn about the Underground Railroad as well as forms of modern slavery. 

Heritage Village Museum at Sharon Woods: a recreated 1800’s community featuring thirteen historic buildings that were saved from destruction and moved to their present location. At Heritage Village, you will experience the rural simplicity of a small town life as it was during Ohio in the 1800’s.

Taft National Historic Site:commemorates the only man to serve as President and Chief Justice of the United States. The house that Taft was born in has been restored to its original appearance. Tour the restored birthplace and exhibits highlighting Taft's life and career, including an animatronic figure of the President's Son, Charlie Taft. Charlie tells stories about different family members. 

Findlay Market:Ohio's oldest continuously operated public market and one of Cincinnati's most cherished institutions. Open Tuesday through Sunday, Findlay Market is home year-around to about two dozen indoor merchants selling meat, fish, poultry, produce, flowers, cheese, deli, and ethnic foods. On Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from April to November the Market also hosts a thriving farmers market, dozens of outdoor vendors, numerous street performers, and lots of special events.

Cincinnati Museum Center:A complex of 3 museums located at Union Terminal: Cincinnati History Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, and the Duke Energy Children’s Museum, and additional special exhibits and an Omnimax Theater. Family passes are available.

Cincinnati History Museum has a model of the city from 1900-40s with working trains and inclines, as well as interactive computer stations!

Union Terminal was originally built in 1933 as a train station and is now a National Historic Landmark. 

Queen City Underground Tours: of OTR/downdown. Tour starts at the Cincy Haus 1218 Vine St.

Enjoy a stroll through the Gateway District, home to America's largest set of historical landmarks. Visit buildings that were home to over 130 saloons, bars and beer gardens, and theaters that hosted iconic entertainers Charlie Chaplin and Wild Bill Hickok. Descend below the city streets to a hidden burial vault and explore newly discovered tunnels vital to Cincinnati's brewery heritage. Warning: wear your walking shoes & prepare to get dirty!

Find out about other historical sites in and around Cincinnati: http://www.historicgreatercincinnati.org

Community Support and Role Modeling

Resident Wellness Committee:

Dedicated to helping YOU maximize your wellness throughout your training, this is the group that is responsible for such wonderful things as organizing the Flying Pig relay teams, improving the nutrition in our residency lunches, and ordering the residency fleeces.  Coming soon: a full list of their plans for this year and a list of members.

Faculty Role Models: Check out what these faculty superstars are doing to stay active, stay healthy, and de-stress.

• This faculty member does home renovations, plays the piano and clarinet, runs, and bikes.  Click here to find out who!
• This faculty member is active in church, frequently gets together with neighbors, ballroom dances, reads and listens to podcasts (especially about Apple products).  Haven't figured it out? Click here.
• This faculty member plays soccer and the piano, swims, jogs, bikes, paints, is active in church and makes hanging out with the kids and going on dates with his wife a priority.  Click here for the answer.
• This faculty member cooks, exercises before work, is spiritual, and reads or watches movies (usually involving spaceships, trolls, and/or things blowing up).  Find out here.
• This faculty member cooks, runs, plays volleyball and reads books, and hugs her kids and takes a bath to recover from a long day at work.  Guess who!
• This faculty member is a vegetarian who cooks, plays the harp and scuba dives in addition to being active in her faith community.  Find the answer here.
• This faculty member bikes competitively in cyclecross, spends time with the family and the neighborhood community, and enjoys the outdoors.  Find out who.